Approaches of Cathay Pacific Relating to Training and Development - Essay Example

?Strategic Human Resource Management - Assignment Table of Contents Introduction 3 A Brief Overview of Cathay Pacific Airways 4 Approaches of Cathay Pacific Relating to Training and Development 6 Recommendations 10 Conclusion 12 References 13 Introduction The perception of Strategic Human Resource Management (SHRM) principally describes the procedure of connecting the various functions relating to Human Resource (HR) with the strategic goals of a particular organisation for the purpose of enhancing its overall business or operational performance. In other words, it can be affirmed that SHRM is principally designed for supporting different organisations towards complying with the requirements of their entire workforce and thus, accomplishing their expected business targets successfully. The conception of SHRM typically deals with various important aspects that embrace training along with development, recruitment as well as selection, reward management and work incentives payable to the personnel (Bratton, n.d.). It is in this context that training and development is regarded as one of the important and valuable constituents of SHRM. Training and development not only supports an organisation to compete with its chief rivals, but also assist it to sustain in the 21st century competitive landscape (Lundy & Cowling, 1996). From a generalised perspective, it can be apparently observed that the role of training is to develop the performances of the entire workforce belonging to a specific organisation for smoothly performing their different assigned tasks or jobs. Conversely, it has been viewed that the role of development is to prepare the personnel of an organisation for conducting future responsibilities as well as functions in an effective manner (Torrington & et. al., 2011). The organisations belonging to this modern day context strongly believed that they can avail significant benefits from paying much attention upon the importance of training and development. The benefits might comprise better execution of the accessible human resources, advancement in the skills of the personnel and enhancement in organisational structure along with culture (Garavan & et.al., 1995). With this concern, the paper will intend to conduct an evaluation of the approaches taken by Cathay Pacific Airways in the area of training and development. Moreover, certain suitable recommendations will also be provided to the company for enhancing this particular field with the intention of maintaining organisational effectiveness. A Brief Overview of Cathay Pacific Airways Cathay Pacific is often regarded as one of the most dynamic international airlines in the global passenger and cargo airlines industry. Established in Hong Kong, the company currently deals with operations providing passenger along with cargo services to an excess of 110 destinations throughout the globe. The vision of the company has been to become one of the best airlines across the globe. The company was established in the year 1946. Since then it has been incessantly making substantial investments to drive advancement in the aviation industry of Hong Kong and also to enhance the business position of the economy as a local transportation hub. The airline company has been viewed to prioritise the aspect of SHRM functioning through training and development with the motive of developing the performance of its entire workforce and thus preserve its operational excellence (Cathay Pacific Airways Limited, n.d.). In this similar concern, the airline company has been viewed to invest substantially on training and development with the intention of accomplishing its pre-determined business targets. The various business goals of the company might comprise enhancing profitability along with productivity, increasing market share and most importantly attaining superior competitive position over its chief business market contenders. Driven towards these objectives, the company realised the utmost necessity of emphasising more upon its training and development practices to engage the employees in its decision making process which would not only raise employee commitment, but shall also facilitate organisational competencies through internal strengths. It has been apparently observed that due to the increasing effects of globalisation, broader adoption as well as execution of innovative technological advancements and gaining momentum through internationalisation has ultimately augmented the market competition within the global airline industry, making it quite difficult for the organisations to sustain in this modern world. In this similar circumstance, the company strongly believed that it can develop the behavioural as well as the technical capabilities of the personnel, raise their job knowledge at every operational level, increase employees’ productivity and develop teamwork along with team spirit by investing extensively upon training and development strategies (Cathay Pacific Airways Limited, n.d.). The different sorts of HR strategies, including ‘training and development’, ‘recruitment and selection’ and ‘pay benefits’ have been viewed as the chief contributors of the strategic capabilities possessed by Cathay Pacific. The company strongly believed that the aspect of employee development can become an indispensable ingredient for attaining superior competitive position in the global periphery. Employee development generally comprises certain important aspects such as providing effective educational along with training programs and building superior organisational capability for accomplishing success in future. It has also been viewed that the airline company has been focused on establishing a working environment wherein the complete workforce of the company has been viewed to act in accordance with both customers’ as well as the company’s interests and therefore, ensuring better customer satisfaction along with organisational progress (Scribd Inc., 2013). Approaches of Cathay Pacific Relating to Training and Development When assessing the HR approaches adopted by Cathay Pacific associated with its training and development functions, it has been apparently observed that the airline company emphasises on employing quality and skilled personnel to understand the organisational growth needs and suffice customers’ expectations efficiently. Relating to the area of training and development, it has been viewed that Cathay Pacific aimed to adopt and implement the approach of lifelong learning for its entire workforce. In this regard, Cathay Pacific intends to foster the culture of incessant learning with the motive of developing the performance of its employees through continuous training and development assistance, resulting in the attainment of its predetermined business targets successfully. With regard to the aspect of lifelong learning, the company organises lunchtime forums with various external professionals. It also arranges for attractive learning seminars for its entire workforce as a form of its training and development program. Apart from focusing upon lifelong learning, the airline company has also been viewed to support fragmentary vocation education for its different staff members in order to provide better service to the customers or the passengers. It is worth mentioning in this regard that Learner’s World can be regarded as one of the imperative HR approaches adopted by Cathay Pacific in the area of training and development. Learner’s World is an online based training program which is especially designed for the entire workforce of the company that facilitates them to access different sorts of trainings independently, without having any restraint of place and time as a consequence of it’s globally spread network. Learner’s World offers both work-associated training and personal development to the employees of the airline company for their better development (Cathay Pacific, 2009). With regard to analyse the approaches adopted by Cathay Pacific, relating to the area of training and development, it has been viewed that the airline company undertook numerous initiatives in order to endorse language skills within its staff community. In this regard, the company has been noted to perform a sequence of aptitude appraisals in different operational sections and form a ‘Language Clinic’ with the intention of supporting the language capabilities of selected staffs identified to be highly skilled. Since the year 2006, the airline company has been successful in introducing and developing effective online learning courses based upon cultural awareness covering various critical issues such as social norms, taboos, religions, cultural values and social norms among others. As a matter of fact, it is the Airports Training and Development Centre (ATDC) that plays a significant role in providing effective training and development programs to the entire workforce of Cathay Pacific with the purpose of developing their operational effectiveness and ultimately mounting organisational profitability to a significant extent. In this similar concern, it has been apparently observed that ATDC aims to closely synchronize with different regional coordinators relating to airport training, managers along with supervisors ensuring that the different approaches, programs and abilities linked with training and development are effectually optimised. This optimisation is further expected to raise the operational effectiveness of the personnel resulting in increased profitability of Cathay Pacific. In order to enable its different staff members operating in dissimilar operating segments for providing superior services to the global passengers or clients, the airline company has been noted to execute the ‘blended learning approach’ linked with its training and development functions. This particular approach that was adopted as well as implemented by the airline company chiefly emphasises upon developing the skills, attitudes and the knowledge of the personnel working for several years with Cathay Pacific. The approach generally embraces different important aspects like job coaching, external workshops along with seminars, promotion as well as induction training, web-based learning, refresher courses and lifelong learning (Cathay Pacific, 2009). Apart from introducing and developing effective training and development programs for the entire workforce, Cathay Pacific also adopted certain significant initiatives in providing valuable training to its different strategic or business leaders. In this similar context, the approach executed by the airline company for improving the operational efficacy of its different business or strategic leaders, comprised various developmental aspects. These aspects embrace workshops, seminars and projects linked with action learning and individual learning. It is worth mentioning in this regard that the airline company has formed as well as developed an effective leadership transition based program relating to the area of training and development with the motive of advancing the operational performance of both middle as well as senior managers . The airline company strongly believes that with the introduction along with the execution of the aforesaid different training and development programs, it can enhance the operational efficiency of its workforce and most vitally, it can increase organisational effectiveness at large (Cathay Pacific, 2009). According to Cheney (1997), modern organisations have to face numerous challenges while performing their different operational functions. These challenges can be principally identified as the internal deficiency of the organisation in recruiting skilled personnel, ineffective interrelation between organisational procedures and people as well as the rising managerial complexities resulting in confusions or disagreements amid the employees due to dissimilar viewpoints of the management team along with other senior officials of an organisation. Thus, Cheney (1997) affirmed that the good practices through effective training and development can be regarded as those functions or strategies adopted by the organisation, which are effective enough to mitigate the aforementioned challenges. As noted by Dzimba (n.d.), the good practices linked with the area of training and development can be identified in the form of competency models, skills-based training and leverage online systems among others. In this similar context, the good practice of competency model facilitates different organisations to recognise the analytical capabilities which are required towards complying with the business goals and thereby input those qualities within the productive employees. The other good practice of leverage online system denotes the deliverance of effective training and development programs through the medium of internet resulting in lessening overall costs for the organisation and simultaneously, generating greater access towards effectual learning resources to enhance the operational effectiveness. The good practice of skills-based training signifies the capabilities that are required to manage the entire workforce of a specific organisation in dissimilar working atmosphere. It has been viewed that this particular good practice aligned with the area of learning and development, i.e. skills-based training, imposes extensive impact upon the behavioural attitudes of the personnel and also upon the organisational culture (Dzimba, n.d.). After acquiring a brief idea about the above mentioned good practices associated with the area of learning and development, it can broadly be affirmed that Cathay Pacific enthusiastically follow the good practice of skills-based training. This can be justified with reference to the fact that the airline company adopts as well as implements various sorts of training programs that play a vital role in assisting the organisation towards managing its entire workforce and thus perform effectually in dissimilar and complex working environments. Thus, it can be stated that the good practice of skills-based training linked with the area of training and development would ultimately support the airlines company to raise operational efficacy of its personnel and also to augment its organisational efficiency by a greater level. Recommendations After acquiring a brief idea about different good practices relating to the field of training and development and the kind of good practices executed by Cathay Pacific, it can be stated that the airline company should continue making deliberate efforts in order to enhance or maintain effectiveness of its training and development strategies. It has been apparently observed that the airline company does well in designing along with implementing effective training and development programs for the reason of mounting operational along with organisational effectiveness. Conversely, it has been viewed that the airline company does not perform well particularly in providing information to its personnel regarding the adoption of new skills and the significant concern of skill enhancement as considered being necessary. This particular activity might impose unfavourable impacts upon the airline company restricting it from accomplishing its expected business goals successfully as determined. However, the airline company can mitigate this critical issue by delivering rewards and recognition at the end of the training program at the individual level. The deliverance of rewards and recognitions would certainly motivate the employees of Cathay Pacific to conduct their respective operational functions effectively resulting in increased profitability of the company. Moreover, for improving or preserving the effectiveness of the area concerning training and development, the airline company should effectively train the coordinators as well as the supervisors in order to deliver their best to the employees and play a major role in the overall training procedure (UCSF, n.d.). It has been apparently observed in this regard that the area concerning training and development of the employees is generally included under certain important aspects that comprise management along with career development, supervisory skills, basic as well as professional capabilities and technical training. In order to make effective enhancements or maintain effectiveness particularly in the area of training and development, Cathay Pacific should also aim to conduct an individual career discussion and developmental plan with the workforce on a yearly basis resulting in increased operational and organisational effectiveness. Most significantly, the airline company should create attractive and effectual activities or programs in order to deliver skill development to its entire workforce that comprise functions like cross-training, coaching, job-rotation, internships, mentoring and groups of career strategy. Furthermore, the company should engage itself in offering periodic feedbacks to its personnel that fosters massive development in performing their diverse set of operational functions (UCSF, n.d.). Thus, it can be affirmed that the aforementioned practices or activities would eventually support Cathay Pacific to make dynamic and attractive improvements and simultaneously, maintain greater effectiveness concerning the area of training and development in its HR policies. Conclusion Training and development is regarded as one of the important functions of SHRM. Different organisations view this particular area as an effective means of raising both operational and organisational effectiveness by a greater level. Notably, organisations belonging to this modern day context tend to highly prioritise in developing this particular area with the motive of attaining their predetermined business targets. Similarly, Cathay Pacific has also been noted to highly prioritise this important area in its HR functions in order to enhance its operational efficiencies and most vitally to accomplish superior competitive position over its chief business market contenders. Contextually, it has been apparently observed that Cathay Pacific uses various approaches linked with training and development. These approaches principally comprise focusing upon lifelong learning, formation of online training platform namely Learner’s World, the role played by ATDC and the facet of ‘blended learning approach’. These approaches are typically regarded to be the most significant tools assisting the airline company towards developing the performance of its entire workforce at large. Thus, it can be concluded that the airline company should perform certain important activities such as emphasising more upon its skills development strategies and conducting career discussions frequently within its entire workforce for the purpose of improving or maintaining the effectiveness of the area concerning training and development. References Bratton, J., No Date. Strategic Human Resource Management. Palgrave Macmillan. Cathay Pacific Airways Limited, No Date. Vision and Missions. About Us. [Online] Available at: http://www.cathaypacific.com/cpa/en_INTL/aboutus/cxbackground/missionstatement [Accessed April 11, 2013]. Cathay Pacific, 2009. Growing a Winning Team. Documents. [Online] Available at: http://downloads.cathaypacific.com/cx/aboutus/sd/2009/documents/growing_a_winning_team.pdf [Accessed April 11, 2013]. Cheney, S., 1997. Excellence in Practice, Volume 1. American Society for Training and Development. Dzimba, J., No Date. Best Practices in Employee Development. Best Practices in Training and Development. Garavan, T. N. & et. al., 1995. Training and Development in Ireland: Context, Policy, and Practice. Cengage Learning EMEA. Lundy, O. & Cowling, A. G., 1996. Strategic Human Resource Management. Routledge. Scribd Inc., 2013. Strategic Human Resource Management Scenarios: CathayPacific. Documents. [Online] Available at: http://www.scribd.com/doc/46545379/Cathay-Pacific [Accessed April 11, 2013]. Torrington, D. & et. al., 2011. Human Resource Management. Pearson Education. UCSF, No Date. The Employee. Chapter 11: Employee Development & Training. [Online] Available at: http://ucsfhr.ucsf.edu/index.php/pubs/hrguidearticle/chapter-11-employee-development-training/ [Accessed April 11, 2013]. Read More